Bottle capping or sealing machine.



E. P. WETMORE.

BOTTLE GAEEING 0E SEAEING MACHINE.

APELIoAToN FILED JUBBglaoa. 1,021,565, Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

14 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

E @1A/Mika wm @ma 'E. P. WETMORE.

BOTTLE OAPPING 0R SBALING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE5,1909.

1,021,565; Paten-ted Mar.26,1912.

14 sHB'BTswHEM 2,

fl@ f; 120

WITNESSES INVENTOR MWQV WMWMQMQW E. P. WETMORE.

BOTTLE GAPPING 0R SEALING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE, 1909. I 1,021,565 Patented 1viar.26,1912.

14 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES E. P. WETMORE., BOTTLE GAPPNG 0R SEALING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5., 1909..

l Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

. 14 SHEETS-SHEET 4. l F134( INVENTOR minm.' i m, MWTQLMMEQSM v M Gibts.,

E. P. WETMORE.

* BOTTLE CAPPING @R SEAL-ING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNEB 1909.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

14 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

E. P. WETMORE, BOTTLE CAPPING QB SEALING MACHINE.

APPLIUTION FILED kJUNE 5,1909.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

14 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

E. P. WETMORE. BOTTLE CAPPING 0R SEALING MACHINE.

APPLIOATIN FILED JUNE 5,1909.

` Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

- 14 BHBETSLBHEET 9.

WITNESSES INVENTO E. P, WETMORE.

BOTTLE CAPPING 0R SBALING MACHINE. PPLIUATION FILED JUNE 5,1909.

14 SHEETS-SHEET 10.

Patented Mar. 26, 191.2.`

INVENTOR E. P. WBTMORE.

BOTTLE OAPPING 0R SBALING MACHINE.

MPL10 ATION FILED 51m35.190s.

1 ,O2 1,565. Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

14 SHEETS-SHEET 11.

WITNESSS INVENTOR Q mmm,

E. P. WETMORE.

BOTTLE GAPPING 0E SEALING MACHINE.

APrLIOATION FILED JUNE 5,1909.V

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

14 SHEETS-SHEET l2.

Mdm,

wlTNEssEs y E. P. WETMORB. BOTTLE GAPPING'OR SEALING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNB, 1909. Lijf? E565. Patented @11226, 1912.

14 SHEETS-SHEET 13.

147 (m. if M l... u...

E. P. WETMO'RE;

BOTTLE (APPINGl 0B SEALING MACHINE. y

APPLXQATION FILED 11111115, 1909.

Patented Mar.26,1912.

14 SHEETS-SHEET 14;

wlTNEssEs INVENTOR To all whom tima/y comzJrn:

EARL :PORTER WETnroRE, oFaoLEno,l oHI'o.

BOTTLE carrrne on SEAIJNG MAQH'INE.

` Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

Application `filed June 5, .1909.. Serial No. 500,288;

Be it known that I, EARL P. WETMOEE, of

Toledo, Lucas county, Ohio, have invented` a new and useful Bottle Capping or Sealing Machine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being )had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspeciication, in whichv Figure 1 is a front view of the preferred form of machine embodying my invention; Y ,Fig 2 is a side view ofthe same; Fig. 2al

is a section through the feeder drum, showing the inclined ,position ofv the member which y, forms the outer` closure therefor; Fig. 3 is a vertical'transvese section on the line III-III.- of Fig. 1; Figs. 3f and 3 1 are detailviews of a portion of the earing for -actuating the rotary drum .of t e feeding mechanism, said views b'eing 'taken at right angles to each other; Fig. 4 is a front elevation, of the upper portion of the machine, on a larger scale; Fig. 5 is a sectional plan yview showing the relation between the capping machine andxthe bottle filler; Fig. 6 isa detail sectional view showing the actuating means. for the bottle-elevating plungers; Fig. 6aL is a detail view showing the. spring-mechanism' ofzone of the plungers; Fig. 7 is a Isectional end elevation .of the actuating meansfor lthe bottleactuat` ing 4plungers; Fig. 8 is a vertical'section of `one of the capping heads; Fig. 9 isa side ."elevation of the sanie; Fig. 10 is a section on the yline X-X of Fig. 8; Fig. 10il is a detail view' of'a bottom or guide member of. the sealing head;` Fig. 11 is an' enlarged view showing the cap-feeding mechanism; Fig. 11a is a'fragmentary det-ail view showing-'the actionl of the cap-feeding mechanism; Fig. 12 is a sectional plan view of the machine taken onthe line XII-XII of Fig. 1; Figs. 13,-14-,15 and 16 are detail views of one of the bottle removers or wipers; Figs. 17, 18, 19 and 20 are'4 detail lviews of the distributing arm; Fig."21 is a sectional view of the cap separator; Fig. 22 is an end view of the rotary member of the feeding mechanism; Fig. 23 is a sectional view of the same; Fig. 24 is a sectional plan "view showings a synchronizing device for controlling the delivery of the bottles to the capping'machine; Fig'. 25 is a section on the line XXV--XXH andFigs. 26, 27, 28 and 29 are" detail views'of yielding connections of the device shown in Figs. 24 and 25.

My invention has relation to bottle-sealy o r cappingmachines, of that class which apply .metallic caps or! closures to the bottle,and secure the same thereto by bending a ange of the cap or closure into locking 'engagement with a shoulder of the bottle neck.

'The object of my invention is', generally stated, to providea machine'of' this character by means ofwhich bottles may 4be rapidly sealed or capped ina proper man ner, lwith -a minimum of breakage and of manual handling of thef bottle.

y Other and more specific objects of the invention'r are as follows: .to provide a machine of this character having means where-l by the bottles are automatically delivered to the -capping mechanism from the bottlefllling' mechanism;v to provide means vof novel and effective character for feeding the caps or' closures to the capping head; toprovide a capping head of noveland effective' character which will to a large ex- .tent prevent breakage of the bottles, and which will adapt itself to variations in size and irreguarities of the bottle necks; to Iprovide no el and eihci'ent means for bringing the` bottles to the vaction of the capping heads, and for removing the capped bottles; and to provide a machine of the character described' whichr will be extremely simple in its generai construction and mode of operation.

A further'object of the preferred form of my invention is, to provide a duplex machine, having a pair of capping heads, with means for distributing the bottles as they are received from the filler alternately into position to be acted upon by one or the other of the twolheads.

A' further object 'of the preferrediorm of my invention is to so arrange the capping machinel with reference .to the'filling machine, and partieularlyfthe driving mechanism lfor the two machines, that the bottlefilling machine will be automatically stopped when the capping machine is stopped for'any purpose,jwhile permitting the capping machine to be operated independently of thelling machine.

Other objects and advantages of the ina` vention will hereinafter appear. v

The nature of my invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanyfing drawings, in which I have shown the preferred form thereof, and which will now be described, it being premised, however,

that vario-us changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement.l and combination of the parts, without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims. ln these drawings I have shown my invention as applied to a machine of the duplex type, which is the preferred form, but it will be obvious from the following description that many of the features thereof are equally applicable to a simplex machine, and,

therefore, except in so far as the claims aretable is rotated. This rotary table is arranged adjacent to thecapping machine, as shown in Fig. 5, guides 4 being provided to successively deflect and removethe bottles from the rotating table into the bottle runway 5 on the table of the capping machine. The bottles are moved between the guides 4 and into the runway 5 by the rotative movement of the table, successive bottles upon entering the guides forcing along the bottles in advance. The bottom. of the runway 5 is formed by an endless conveyer 6 mounted upon the carrying wheels 7, in the manner clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 12, said conveyer being positively driven in the manner hereinafter described. The bottles pass olf from this conveyer onto the table 2, between and below the two sealing heads 8 and 9, and are moved'alternately to a position underneath one or the other of said heads by the action of anl os cillating distributer arm 10. This arm acts to move the bottles alternately to the right and left onto the vertically reciprocating plungers 11, one of which is arranged below each sealing head with its vertical axis in alinement with the vertical axis of the head, said plungers working through the table 2 and being arranged to elevate the bottles to carry their neck portions into the sealing heads. Each plunger hask at its upper end a centering lip or flange 12 removably secured thereto, and which acts to cent the bottle properly underneath the head. Tese centering lips or flanges` are made removable so as to adapt the machine t6 different sizes of bottles, la different form of lip or flange being necessary for instance with pint bottles thanis required for quart bottles. Each of the plungers 11 is comat the right-hand side of forcing the pivoted arms 26 away from each yengagement with a cam 15 on the plungeractuating shaft 16. The two cams 15 are set oppositely to each other on the shaft 16,

so that when one of the plungers is in its elevated position, the other plunger will be in its lowest position, each'of these cams being shaped as shown in Fig. 7 so that it will be idle during approximately one-half of the time and while the other cam is acting. 4Each of the cross-heads 1'3 also carries a second and smaller anti-friction roller 17, which engagesa second cam 18 on the shaft 16, the purpose of these cams 18 be ing to exert a positive retracting action on the plungers. The two cams are preferably rigidly connected together, by any suitable means, such as screwbolts 19 shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The cross-heads. 13 are mounted to slide vertically in guide ways 20 on the base portion of the machine. The upper end of the lower member 11b shown in Fig. 13 of each plunger extends upwardly through a guide-bearing 21 screwed in the upper melnber 11a;1 and has a nut 22 at its upper end which normally rests upon the upper surface of said bearing. Between the bottom end'` of bearing 21 and a sleeve 24 on the lower member 11b, is seated a coiled spring 25, having a certain initial compression. Pivoted to the lower end head or .collar 23 of 'the guide-bearing 21 are two arms 26, having antifriction rollers rangement just described is, to permit theY plunger to yield to compensate for irregularities in the heights of the bottle, and thereby prevent breakage and excessive pressure on cork or packing material in the cap. It will be readily seen that when the pressure upon any bottle is sufficient to overcome the initial compression of the spring 25, the upper member 11a of the plunger will move downwardly against the compression of said spring, causingr the rollers 27 to move down lthe curved surfaces 29 onto the body of the sleeve 24, as shown 1, thereby other against the action of the tension due pressure that would be caused by a bottle of a greater heightk than the`normal or standard.

' The cam shaft 16 is shown as driven by gear connection 31 with a main drivingshaft" 32, journaled at the base of the machine, at one side and driven by a pulley 33 having a clutch connection 34'with said shaft, said clutch being controlled by a shifting lever 35. The shaft32 at the opposite end of the pulley. 33 carries a belt or other driving wheel 36, connected b a belt or other drivk -ing connection 37 w1th a tight and loose pulley 38 which actuates the rotary table 3 of the bottle-filling machine. By driving the bottle-filling machine in this manner through the capping machine, the stoppage of the capping machine for any reason will also stop the filling machine and prevent lao bottles being delivered from the table 3 onto the table 2. The belt or otherdriving connection 37 may, however, be disconnected or thrown out `of gear spas to permit the .cap-

ping. machine to be operated independently of the filling machine.

The distributer arm 10,by means of which the bottles from the runway 5 are alternately moved onto one or the other of the plungers `11, is pivoted to the table 2 at 39,

and has a bolt or stud 40'projecting throughl .end portion 10a is ivotally connected tothe body of the arm y a vertical pin or bolt 10", being an extension of 40, and is acted upon by the centering spring 48, which is seated in the body of the arm and bears against a shoe 49 which contacts with antifriction rollers 50 on the portion 10". The portion 10a is also provided with a vertical slot 51, in which is pivotally seated a vertically movable finger 52. The pivotal section 10a is arranged to yield against the action of the spring 48 in case of contact with an obstruction, such as an overturned bottle, while the pivoted finger 52 .will readily throw' 'upwardly byA contact with the lobstruction to pass over the same, after which it falls by gravity to its normal position.

The cam groove 43 in the cam 44 which ac;v

tuates this arm is so-designed as to give the arm a slow initial and' inalfmovement in each direction, with a more rapid motion during the intermediate portion of its move ment. This gives an easy contact with the bottle to be moved, preventing it from being tipped or overturned by the impact of the arm and gradually overcoming its momentum, after which it is rapidly moved toward one of the plungers 11, the final movement being again a slow one to prevent the bottle from being moved too violently against the centering 'lip or flange 12 on .the plunger. In` the'machine shown, the shaft 45 is utilized as a driving means for the bottle conveyer 6, beingl connected tothe .extended shaft 7 a of one of the carrying wheels 7, of said conveyer through the spur gearing 53, as shown in Fig. 12. j

54 designate the wipers by means of which the capped bottles are pushed olly from the plungers 11 onto the forward portions of the table 2. One of these wipers with its driving gearing and accompanying parts, is shown in detail in Figs. 13, 14, 15 and 16.

They consist each of a hub portion 56, which has a clutch Aconnection with a sleeve or bushing 57 which is free to turn around a hollow post or column 58 which extends vertically upward through the table of thel machine from the base or bed, one of these posts or columns being arranged at each end portion of the machine, as shown. The hub portion 56 of each wiper carries a spider 59 having a series (in the present instance y three) of projectingarmsO with the curved forward faces 6.1 for contact with the lower portions of the bottles. These arms 60, as the wipers are rotated, move over and across the'upperpend of theadjacent plunger 11 and thereby move the bottles off from such plunger and Iforwardly onto the table 2. Thev sleeve 57 has Vkeyed or otherwise secured to its lower end a spur gear wheel 62, which is driven by a pinion 63 on a short vertical shaft 64 having a bevel gear wheel 65 meshing with a corresponding bevel gear wheel` 66 on the shaft 45 before referred to. The clutch connection between the hub 56 and the driving sleeve 57 of each wiper is preferably. formed by a plurality of springpressed clutch balls 67, which are arranged to engage the clutch recesses or cavities 68y in the sleeve 57, these cavities having their walls beveled both laterally and vertically. Each wiper is inclosed in a shield or guard 69, which is arrangedto slide vertically on the vpost or column 58, and which is cut iaway at the side adjacent to the plunger 11,

as clearly shown in Figs. 13,14, 15 and 16. This shield -or guard is not only guided in its movements by the post or column 58, but is also preferably provided'with a plura'lity of vertical guide bolts 70 which eX- tend through guide openings in the table 2.

71 is a guard, preferably of non-metallic character, which is secured to each of the guards 69, and which has a curved edge 72 above the plunger 11 and which coperates wit-hthe centering lip or flange 12 to prop erly center the bottle underneath the seating or capping head.`

While the movement of the wipers is norio i mally so timed that the arms 60 willlnot come over the upper end of the plunger 11 except at the time such plunger has been lowered after a capping operation, it sometimes happens that some obstruction, such as an overturnedbottle, or a piece of a broken bottle, or some tool will accidentally fall in the way of these arms lto prevent their rotation, in which case one ofthe arms might be directly over the plunger at the time it is making its next upward mo'velf ment. To preventinjury to the machine due to anything of this kind, is the purpose of the clutch device which has just been described In case the wi r should become obstructed, the clutch bals 68 will be olismove freely up and down thereon without any tendency to bind or cramp. After the' obstruction has been removed, the clutch will at once restore the driving-connection with the sleeve 57 and the wiper wil-l automatically time itself.

The sealing heads Sand 9 are secured in the cross-beam 78, supported above the table 2 on the upwardly extending ends of the posts or columns 58. These upper ends are threaded, as shown in Fig. 1, and pass through the ends of the .cross-beam, so that the cross-beam can be adjusted thereon to a greater or less distance from the table to suit bottles of difference heights. This adjustment maybe conveniently eifected by means of the adjusting nuts 74 carrying sprocket wheel 75 connected by a sprocket chain 76. One of the nuts 74 also carries a bevel gear 77 which meshes with a bevel gear 78 on a stub shaft 79 adapted for engagement with a hand wrench or lever. By rotating this shaft 79 the two nuts 74 will be run up or down to thereby secure the desired adjustment of the cross-beam, it being obvious that both nuts will be moved uniformly and thus prevent any tendency of the head to bind. Nuts 74a hold. the beam in contactwith nuts 74.

One of the sealing or capping heads is shown vin detail in Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 10a. It consists of an outer tubular casing or shell `80 havingan enlarged interiorly chambered portion. or head 81 at its lowervend in which are seated a plurality of radially movable segmental dies 82,these dies together making up a completev circle at their inner ends. Each die 1s pressed forwardly by a spring 83, seated in a pocket in the die and against a screw plug 84,'which has a threaded bearing in a bushing or ring 85 threaded into the enlarged portion 81 of the shell or casing 80. 86 is a rod or plunger, which extends vertically upward into the shell or casing, bemg guided at 87 at its upper' end and at 88 near its lower end, and which terminates at its lower end in a head 89. 90-is a spirall *spring coiled around the rod 86 and seated atits lupper end against the cap-nut 91,

which carries the upper bearing 87 and at its lower end against a nut or collar 92 'threaded or otherwise secured to said rod. Each head is provided with 'a lower guide member 93', which is pivoted to the head at 94, and-is normally secured in pro-per relation to the head by means ef a link 95 or other suitable fastening which can be readily removed to permit the member to be swung around on its pin or pivot 94. This member is provided with a central upwardly tapered guide opening 96, which leads to the cap seat 97 which is immediately below the head 89 of the plunger 86. The guide member 93`is cut away or shouldered at one side as shown at 98 to forma seat and bearing for the longitudinally reciprocating slide 99. This slide is shown in detail in Fig. 21, and is for the purpose of separating the caps as well as agita-ting the same, in the manner hereinafter described. It extends across the space between the two heads, one end portion being seatedat 98 in one head, and the other end portion having a corresponding seat in the other head. Each end portion of the slide is provided on its upper surface with a recess 100 adapted toreceive one of the bottle caps or closures 101. The intermediate portion of the slide between the two heads has a slotted lug 102, which is arranged to be engaged by a crank pin 108 of a crank wheel 104 on the lower end of a vertical shaft 105, so that as said shaft is rotated, the slide will be reciprocated longitudinally. The crank wheel 104 is prefyerably connected to the shaft 105 by a spring clutch 106, as shown in Fig. 21, so that in case of any obstruction to the movement o f the sflide said clutch will readily disconnect itsel 107 designates a feed or supplyhopper for the caps or closures 101. Thishopper is supported from the kcross-beam 73,"and has a central bottom throat or pocket 108 formed with a downwardly and forwardly inclined bottom wall 109. The throat or pocket 108 has an opening' 110 in its front wall surrounded by the forwardly projecting outwardly flared hopper-shaped flange 111. I Extending through the throat or pocket 108 isa shaft 112, which also extends through the hopper-shaped member 111 and has secured thereto within said member a rotary hollow feedingdrum 113. This drum is shown in assembled relation in Fig.

3, and is also shown in detail in Figs.v 22 and open except for the arms 114. The outerl end of its wall `or shell terminates in an outwardly flared flangel116, which is in the plane of the outer flanged edge 117 ofthe member `111. The flange 116 carries a plurality of spaced projecting pins 118. These Figs. 11 and 11a;

pins are spaced from each other just` the lproper distance to permit the crown portion a of the caps 101 to just pass between adjacent pins, and to prevent the corrugated flange portion b of said capsto pass therethrough, as will best appear by reference` to 119 is an annular ring,.which is placed parallel with the flange 117 and is separated therefrom by an intervening space, as shown in Fig. 3, of just about sufficient thickness tov receive the caps in flatwise position.

l Within this ring 119 is a disk 120, which is revolubly mounted on the hub 113a on ring 119 and has a slight amount of looseness or wabble on said hub. This disk and also the 'spaced from the flange 117 by means of the ribs 121'; and the plane of disk 120 is slightly inclined to the vertical with re# spect to the plane of the ring 119 being held in this position by any suitable means, such 4as the rollers 119% carried by brackets 119b secured to t/he ring 119 (seeFig. 1).

Between the outer rib 121 and one edge of the drum-117 is a space or chamber 122, which the manner best shown in Fig. 21.

extends downwardly and is divided at its lower portion by means of ribs 123 into two feed channels 124 and 125 which com'municate respectively with the chutes 126 and 127 which lead-downwardly to the heads 8 and 9, said chutes abutting the lower pivoled members 93ofthe heads at one side in -shaft 112 carries at its opposite end a gear ywheel 128, which is engaged by pinion 129 on a short shaft 130 havin a bevel gear 'wheel 131 which meshes wit a bevel gear wheel 132. This bevel gear wheel 132 is connected by a jointed shaft 133, with a `wheel 136 with a bevel gear wheel 137 on the 'shaft 16. The-bevel gear wheel132 also drives .the bevel gear .wheel 138 on the upper end of the vertical shaft 105 which The f Norder to form a drivingconnection for the feeder and for the slide 99 in the various adjustments of said beam.

The caps or closures 101 are placed in the hopper 107 in bulk and without regard to their position. These caps feed down into .the throat or pocket 108, the inclined bot- -tom wall 109 serving to throw them forwardlyI toward the rotary drum 113 into' which they enter' past the arms 114.l The caps are prevented from catching or forming an llobstruction at the entrance to the drum.,113 by means of the agitators 138, whichv are secured to the arms 114, and which, as the drum 113rotates, constantly stir up the c`aps at this point, said agitators having the flared agitatingedges 139 (Figs.l 22nd-.23). The caps in the drum 113 work down into the space between the flange 117 and the ring 119, and are caught between. the pins 118 in' the manner shown in Fig. 11. The caps which are in the proper position for use, will readily 'pass' between said pins, while those thatare the wrongside-to will ,be prevented fromv passing owing to the fact that, as before stated, the

`distance between adjacent pins 118 is less than the diameter of `the corrugated flange b' of the caps." In starting the machine, those caps which are in the correct position will at one pass through between the pins and to the lower port-ion of the chamber 122, as shown in Fig. 11, and thence into the feed chutes 126 and 127, as also clearly shown in the said figure. When these chutes become filled, the caps will continue-to ac` cumulate in thelower portion of the cham ber 122, the caps already in such portion of the chamber preventing further jcaps froml passing therein atthe lower portion of the drum 113. Consequently, the caps are carried by the pins farther up theside of the drum and escape between the pins into the upper portion of the space 122. If the space .becomes filled, somewhat above the hprizontal line the excess caps will fall back 'minimum amount of surface contact with the caps so as to 'obviate and tendency of the caps to become wedged or jammed between.`

the lowe portion I the pins. In the event that a cap should become wedged between the flange of the drum and the adjacent face of the disk 120, said disk will be rotated by the friction of the cap thereon and the cap will be carried to the upper portion of the drum where the space between said disk and said flange is slightly greater than -the corresponding space at the lower portion ofthe drum, thereby permitting the cap to free itself. also preferably provide the drum 113 with the agitator 140, which at each revolution of the drum, stirs up the caps in the lower portion thereof and keeps them in a loose and freely moving condition at the point where they pass into the space between the flange 117 and the ring 119. The caps pass down the feed chutes 126 and 127, and are brought successively to the heads 8 and 9 in the manner best shown in Fig. 21. As fast as one cap is used, the weight of the column of caps in the chute immediately forces the lowermost caps forwardly, the cap which has previously been at the lower end of the chute passing into the recess 100,

in one end of the slide 99, and the cap which has previously been in said recess being advanced into the receiving space of the head immediately below the plunger 86. While the cap in one of the heads is being applied toa bottle hyfthe action of the radial dies. the next adjacent cap has been separated therefrom by the action of the slide 99, as

shown at the left-hand side of Fig. 21, this' separating action being desirable by reason ofthe tendency of the corrugatedrflanges of the' adjacent caps to engage each other and cause them to hang together. By moving the cap in the manner described, the cap in the slide is entirely ,separated from the adjacent caps. As soon as la cap has been applied, the slide reverses its movement, thereby effecting a separation `of the caps at the other head and permitting the new cap to come into the slide of the firstnamed head and the cap already in said slide to pass into the head. The cap receiving recesses or seats in the end portions of the slide form in effect portions of the feed chutes which are temporarily moved out ,of the line of feed to obstruct the flow of caps to the heads fwhile the sealing operations are being performed. The arrangementv is,i n function, the equivalent of moving the lower ends of the feed chutes out of the line of feed, but is, mechanically, a much more simple and practical expedient. This slide also has another function, which is 'as follows z--The caps. generally lap by ,and pushes it back a'short distance in the chute.- This causesv a movement of the entire column of caps within the chute and extending up into the space or chamber 122. This,slight movement occurring in each chute after a cap has been applied to a elevated to raise the bottle to bring its neck.

within the guide opening 96 underneath the cap, the upward movement of the -bottle forcingits mouth into the cap and the cap and bottle moving upwardly against the head 89 of the spring-pressed plunger 86. As the cap is carried upwardly on the bottle within the radial dies 82, these latter act to bend the flange Z) of the cap downwardly into locking engagement with the usual shoulder in the neck of the bottle.

By making the dies in a plurality of independently yielding radial segments, they are able to yield independently to irregularities in themouth of 'the bottle, and are able to adapt themselves to considerable Ivariations inthe size and form of the bottle mouths. This is of great advantage, since it very greatly reduces the breakage which occurs with rigid dies, which are unable to yield in this manner to irregularities in size and Vshape of different bottles. By means .of these segmental dies, I am enabled to make a perfect application of the caps to the bot.- tles with practically no breakage` and with a very small percentage, as compared with alll previously known methods, of what is known as leakers, these leakers are usually caused by'imperfect application of the cap in the sealing operations. It will be noted that the lower corners of the dies are rounded, for a double purpose; first, to center the crown of the cap within the dies; and second, to cause the lower face of the dies to first engage the outer portion of the corrugated llange of the cap and continue this engagement until the flange has been practically forced to its locking position. This manner of forming the'dies prevents any tendency to cut or shear the corrugated flange from the skirt of the cap, and also in the bending action, causes the bending line at the inner ends of the eorrugations to be forced inwardly against the bottle neck to act as a fulcrum for the bending operation.

The operation of the several parts of the ,machine have been described in detail in connection with the foregoing description, but a brief rsum of the general operation may be given as follows The filled ,bottles are` automatically delivered fromthefill-in vmachine into the runway5, being move for- 

